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Keith Lee (wrestler)

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Keith Lee
Lee in April 2018
Born (1984-11-08) November 8, 1984 (age 39)
Wichita Falls, Texas, United States[1]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Keith Lee[2]
Kevin Paine
Billed height6 ft 2 in (188 cm)[2]
Billed weight320 lb (145 kg)[2]
Billed fromWichita Falls, Texas
Trained byKiller Tim Brooks
DebutFebruary 2005

Keith Lee (born November 8, 1984) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand, and is currently the NXT Champion in his first reign. Lee is also a former NXT North American Champion, as well as the first man to hold both titles simultaneously.

He is known for his work on the independent circuit, where he competed for promotions such as Evolve, All American Wrestling (AAW), and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG). He is a one-time PWG World Champion and a one-time WWN Champion.

Early life

Keith Lee was born on November 8, 1984, in Wichita Falls, Texas. He was introduced to professional wrestling at a young age by his grandmother, who was a fan herself, and credits her with inspiring him to pursue a career in professional wrestling. Lee played college football at Texas A&M University, but quit to become a professional wrestler.[4][5]

Professional wrestling career

Ring of Honor (2015–2017)

During 2015, Lee started making appearances in Ring of Honor with Shane Taylor, calling themselves "Pretty Boy Killers" (PBK).[6]

On August 27, 2016, during Field of Honor, PBK participated in a gauntlet tag team match for the ROH World Tag Team Championship, but the match was won by The Addiction.[7] At All Star Extravaganza VIII, PBK wrestled against The All Night Express, War Machine and the team of Colt Cabana and Dalton Castle in a Four Corner Survival match to determine the number one contender for the ROH tag team championship, in a losing effort.[8] In January 2017, Taylor announced the he had signed his first contract with the Ring of Honor.[9] At a January 14 show in Atlanta, PBK entered into a feud with The Briscoe Brothers when Lee and Taylor attacked them and slammed Jay Briscoe through a table. Surprisingly, the next day, Lee announced that he was leaving ROH.[10] On February 3, 2017, they faced The Briscoes, where the match ended in a no contest. This was Lee's last appearance in ROH.[11]

Evolve (2017–2018)

Lee signed with Evolve in January 2017, and made his debut at Evolve 76, losing to Chris Hero.[12] He made his return on February 24 at Evolve 78, defeating Zack Sabre Jr.[13] The following night, at Evolve 79, he defeated Tracy Williams.[14] Lee received his first championship opportunity at Evolve 87 on June 25, when he unsuccessfully challenged Matt Riddle for the WWN Championship.[15] On October 14, at Evolve 94, Lee defeated Riddle to win the WWN Championship.[16] On April 6, 2018, at Evolve 103, he lost the title to Austin Theory.[17]

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (2017–2018)

Lee made his Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) debut on March 18, 2017, at the Nice Boys (Don't Play Rock N' Roll) event, competing in a triple threat match against Brian Cage and Sami Callihan, won by Cage.[18] At the Game Over, Man event, he lost to Jeff Cobb.[19] On May 19 at Head Like A Cole, he won his first match in PWG, defeating Trevor Lee.[20] He followed this up by defeating Lio Rush and Trent at Pushin Forward Back on July 7.[21] In September, Lee made it to the finals of the 2017 Battle of Los Angeles, where he was defeated by Ricochet.[22] Lee's quarterfinal match against Donovan Dijak was awarded a five-star rating by Dave Meltzer.[23] At Time Is a Flat Circle event on March 23, 2018, Lee defeated Chuck Taylor to become the PWG World Champion. On April 21 at All Star Weekend 14, Lee lost the title to Walter in a three-way match, also involving Jonah Rock.

WWE (2018–present)

Lee performing the Spirit Bomb on Kassius Ohno

Debut and first storylines (2018-2020)

Prior to officially signing with WWE, Lee made an appearance on WWE television in 2009 during an angle that featured Triple H, Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon taking on The Legacy (Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase). Lee was part of the security team on hand to prevent the McMahon family from attacking The Legacy.[24][25]

On April 5, 2018, during WrestleMania Axxess weekend, Lee made an appearance for NXT, defeating Kassius Ohno.[26] On May 1, it was announced that Lee had signed a contract with WWE.[27] Lee appeared in attendance for NXT TakeOver: Chicago II on June 16.[28] On the August 8 episode of NXT, Lee made his in-ring debut, defeating Marcel Barthel.[29] He appeared two weeks later on NXT, defeating Luke Menzies.[30] On the September 26 episode of NXT, an altercation between Lee and Kona Reeves was shown.[31] The two had a match two weeks later, in which Lee was victorious.[32] On the November 21 episode of NXT, Lars Sullivan defeated Keita Murray and attacked him after the match, Lee intervened and chased Sullivan from the ring.[33] The two faced off the following week, in which Lee was defeated.[34] On March 7, 2019, Lee suffered an undisclosed injury. The injury resulted in an early end to his planned feud with Dominik Dijakovic, who he was supposed to face for the next two months. Lee returned to action on April 18, at a house show in Lakeland, Florida.[35]

On the November 1 episode of SmackDown, Lee and Matt Riddle were two of the many NXT wrestlers to invade the show, confronting and ultimately attacking Sami Zayn.[36] Later that night, Lee joined Triple H and the rest of the NXT roster, as they declared war on both Raw and SmackDown, and vowed to win the Survivor Series brand warfare.[37] At the event, Lee and Team SmackDown's Roman Reigns were the last two men standing (with the entirety of Team Raw having been eliminated), with Reigns eventually pinning Lee.[38][39]

North American and NXT Champion (2020-present)

On the January 8, 2020 episode of NXT, Lee defeated Cameron Grimes, Damian Priest, and Dominik Dijakovic to become the number one contender to the NXT North American Championship.[40] On the January 22 episode of NXT, Lee defeated Roderick Strong to win the NXT North American Championship, marking his first championship win in WWE.[41] Lee participated in the Royal Rumble match and entered at #13 at the namesake pay-per-view but was eliminated by the WWE Champion Brock Lesnar. On the February 5 episode of NXT, it was announced that Lee would defend his North American championship against Dijakovic at NXT Takeover: Portland, where Lee successfully defended his title. On the March 11th episode of NXT, Lee retained the title against Cameron Grimes. On the April 1st episode of NXT, Lee retained the title against Dijakovic and Priest in a Triple Threat match.[42] In early June, Lee began feuding with Johnny Gargano after they traded shots via video promos involving Gargano's wife Candice LeRae and Lee's real-life girlfriend Mia Yim. Lee and Yim would face the Garganos in a mixed tag team match on June 4th where LeRae picked up the victory for the team. Lee would successfully defend the North American Championship against Johnny Gargano at NXT TakeOver: In Your House.[43] On the June 25 episode of NXT, Lee defended his North American Championship against Johnny Gargano and Finn Bálor in a match where the winner would face Adam Cole for the NXT Championship in a Winner takes all match at NXT: The Great American Bash. On Night 2 of The Great American Bash, he defeated Cole to win the NXT title, ending Cole's record 403-day reign and becoming a double champion, and the first person to hold both titles simultaneously.[44] He made his first successful defense of both titles against Dominik Dijakovic on the July 15 episode of NXT. On the July 22 episode of NXT, Lee voluntarily relinquished the North American Championship to provide opportunities to other superstars and to solely focus on defending the NXT Championship. On the July 29 episode of NXT, Lee started a feud with Karrion Kross after he made Lee watch as Dominik Dijakovic was being submitted in their match the week before.[45] After weeks of cryptic promos by Kross, Lee is set to defend his NXT Championship at NXT TakeOver XXX against Kross.[46]

Other media

Lee made his video game debut as a playable character in WWE 2K20.[47]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
2020 The Main Event Smooth Operator[48]

Championships and accomplishments

Lee as WWN Champion

References

  1. ^ "Exclusive Q&A: Keith Lee reveals how a Hall of Famer's advice changed his life and why failure is part of the "grind"". WWE. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Keith Lee". WWE. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  3. ^ "Keith Lee on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  4. ^ "Interview – Keith Lee – The British Wrestling Revival Blog". thebritishwrestlingrevival.wordpress.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  5. ^ "Keith Lee helping to change the game for big men in wrestling". March 9, 2017. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  6. ^ "Keith Lee and Shane Taylor on the Future of Honor". Retrieved January 28, 2020 – via www.youtube.com.
  7. ^ "ROH Field of Honor Results 8.27.16". 411 Mania. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
  8. ^ "Csonka's ROH All Star Extravaganza Review 9.30.16". 411Mania. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
  9. ^ "ROH Contract News on Adam Page & Donovan Dijak. More on Keith lee's Departure". 411Mania. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  10. ^ https://twitter.com/RealKeithLee/status/820716539380908034?
  11. ^ Laconi, Rich (February 17, 2017). "The Curious Case of Keith Lee". Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  12. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "EVOLVE 76: A Hero's Exit – Tag 1 « Events Database « CAGEMATCH – The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  13. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "EVOLVE 78 « Events Database « CAGEMATCH – The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  14. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "EVOLVE 79 « Events Database « CAGEMATCH – The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  15. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "EVOLVE 87 « Events Database « CAGEMATCH – The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  16. ^ Elizabeth, Claire. "Evolve 94 recap & review: Keith Lee wins the big one, Catch Point sweep it clean, and the End begins". Cageside Seats. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  17. ^ Elizabeth, Claire. "Evolve 103 recap & review: Injuries shuffle the card, Riddle uses a lack of rope breaks to retain, and Austin Theory wins the WWN title". Cageside Seats. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  18. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "PWG Nice Boys (Don't Play Rock N' Roll) « Events Database « CAGEMATCH – The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  19. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "PWG Game Over, Man « Events Database « CAGEMATCH – The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  20. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "PWG Head Like A Cole « Events Database « CAGEMATCH – The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  21. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "PWG Pushin Forward Back « Events Database « CAGEMATCH – The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  22. ^ Meltzer, Dave (September 4, 2017). "PWG BOLA night three results: The winner is crowned". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  23. ^ Meltzer, Dave (December 26, 2017). "Dave Meltzer's top-rated matches of 2017: Donovan Dijak vs. Keith Lee". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  24. ^ https://open.spotify.com/episode/71DioaBMdZBU2E3ZMgx3an?si=scn3DP4TT9aKulbtVQ081A
  25. ^ https://youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=XBEObbwfp38
  26. ^ Currier, Joseph (April 6, 2018). "WWE AXXESS DAY ONE RESULTS: KEITH LEE VS. KASSIUS OHNO". Wrestling Observer. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  27. ^ "Keith Lee signs WWE deal, update on WALTER and WWE, Danny Burch signs with WWE -". May 2, 2018.
  28. ^ "Keith Lee appears ringside at NXT TakeOver: Chicago II". WWE.com. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  29. ^ "Keith Lee def. Marcel Barthel". WWE.com. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
  30. ^ "Keith Lee def. Luke Menzies". WWE.com. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  31. ^ "Alternate angle of Keith Lee and Kona Reeves' altercation: NXT Exclusive, Sept. 26, 2018". YouTube. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  32. ^ "Keith Lee def. Kona Reeves". WWE.com. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  33. ^ "Lars Sullivan def. Keita Murray". WWE.com. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  34. ^ "Lars Sullivan def. Keith Lee". WWE.com. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  35. ^ "Keith Lee Returns From His Undisclosed Injury At NXT Live Event In Lakeland | Fightful Wrestling". www.fightful.com. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  36. ^ Garretson, Jordan. "Keith Lee and Matt Riddle confronted Sami Zayn". wwe.com. WWE. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  37. ^ Powell, Jason (November 1, 2019). "11/1 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review the show featuring a makeshift crew caused by flight issues in Saudi Arabia following WWE Crown Jewel". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  38. ^ "Shayna Baszler, Matt Riddle, Keith Lee Appear On WWE SmackDown | Fightful Wrestling". www.fightful.com. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  39. ^ "NXT invasion takes place on WWE SmackDown". WON/F4W - WWE news, Pro Wrestling News, WWE Results, UFC News, UFC results. November 1, 2019. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  40. ^ Moore, John (January 8, 2020). "1/8 NXT TV results: Moore's review of Keith Lee vs. Dominik Dijakovic vs. Cameron Grimes vs. Damian Priest in a four-way for a shot at the NXT North American Championship, the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament begins". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  41. ^ Moore, John (January 23, 2020). "1/22 NXT TV results: Moore's review of Roderick Strong vs. Keith Lee for the NXT North American Championship, Io Shirai vs. Toni Storm, the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament semifinal matches, final Worlds Collide hype". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  42. ^ Melok, Bobby (February 5, 2020). "NXT North American Champion Keith Lee vs. Dominik Dijakovic". WWE. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  43. ^ Moore, John (June 7, 2020). "NXT Takeover: In Your House results – Moore's live review of Adam Cole defeated Velveteen Dream in a Backlot Brawl for the NXT Championship, Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Io Shirai for the NXT Women's Championship, Keith Lee vs. Johnny Gargano for the NXT North American Title, Tommaso Ciampa vs. Karrion Kross". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  44. ^ Moore, John (July 8, 2020). "7/8 NXT TV results: Moore's review of the Great American Bash night two with NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. NXT North American Champion Keith Lee for both titles, Mia Yim vs. Candice LeRae in a Street Fight, Legado Del Fantasma vs. Drake Maverick, Tyler Breeze, and Fandango, Johnny Gargano vs. Isaiah Scott". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  45. ^ "WWE NXT Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from July 29". Bleacher Report. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  46. ^ Garretson, Jordan (August 13, 2020). "NXT Champion Keith Lee vs. Karrion Kross with Scarlett". WWE. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  47. ^ Mazique, Brian (October 7, 2019). "'WWE 2K20' Complete Roster Of Legends And Current Raw, Smackdown And NXT Superstars". Forbes. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  48. ^ "In 'The Main Event,' a magical mask helps an 11-year-old boy topple the wrestling stars of the WWE". April 9, 2020.
  49. ^ "Pro Wrestling Guerrilla - Title History". www.prowrestlingguerrilla.com. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  50. ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2018". cagematch.net. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
  51. ^ http://www.profightdb.com/pwi-500/2019.html
  52. ^ Barrasso, Justin. "SI's Top 10 Wrestlers of the Year". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
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  54. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "VIP Tag Team Championship « Titles Database « CAGEMATCH – The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net.
  55. ^ "NXT Championship". WWE. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  56. ^ "NXT North American Championship". WWE. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  57. ^ Aiken, Chris (January 1, 2020). "WWE NXT live results: Year-End award winners revealed". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  58. ^ Williams, JJ (October 15, 2017). "Evolve 94 results: Matt Riddle vs. Keith Lee last man standing match". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
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